Candor, camaraderie distinguish legal-software firm kCura

Employees say tight-knit bonds with co-workers is what makes kCura Corp. a great place to work, but it's also about the pancakes.

The legal-software company ranked No. 2 on the Tribune's Top Workplaces list for midsize companies, as surveyed by WorkplaceDynamics, an Exton, Pa.-based consultancy.

It provides a pancake (and, yes, bacon) breakfast once a month for its 280 workers, hosts a monthly happy hour and fields soccer, basketball and kickball teams to burn off all that beer and buttermilk.

"If we can build an environment where people feel good about coming in every day, we can make a real impact on people's lives," said Andrew Sieja, kCura's founder, president and chief executive officer. "We do a lot of things that have an impact on how they feel about the company, but the highest marks we get have to do with people just really enjoying the other people they work with."

The camaraderie isn't an afterthought but is cultivated throughout the design of the company's office, its employee perks and its interview process.

The privately held company says it is hiring about 150 employees this year and recently moved from another Loop location to occupy two floors of the Bank of America building, 231 S. LaSalle St.

Job candidates are asked to painstakingly go through every job on their resume, explaining for each what they were hired to do, to whom they reported, why they left and who the "A" players were — a technique Sieja picked up from a book one of his clients recommended.

"As they answer these, we ask other questions in a way that uncovers how they feel about, say, accountability or being a team player. It takes a lot of time, about two or three hours, but after a while people get comfortable and start telling you crazy things," Sieja says, meaning they open up and offer real insight into their work ethic and personality.

The company developed Relativity, a Web-based platform that lawyers, companies and agencies use to analyze discovery documents during litigation. Officials say the product has about 65,000 users, including the U.S. Justice Department and 95 of the 100 largest U.S. law firms.

Sieja started the company in 2001 as a consulting firm but transformed it into a product seller beginning in 2004 after a job for a big law firm to develop a document management tool. ("Cura" is Latin for "management," and the "k" stands for "knowledge.")

Licensing the product to other law firms, the company started a huge growth spurt in 2007 and has been building ever since as the so-called e-discovery market booms. The company also sells Method, another e-discovery software tool.

Justin Smits, 27, joined kCura about two years ago as a developer and is now an engineering manager overseeing two teams of employees.

"What drove me here was talking to Andrew. I could tell he's not doing this just to get rich and dump it," meaning cash out of the firm, said Smits, who moved from Milwaukee to join the firm.

Originally from New Zealand, Margaret Duggan was employee No. 47. She works as the company's education services manager, training and certifying users of the software.

"I've been in the software industry quite a while, and what sticks out about (this company) is the energy and enthusiasm," she said. "The three-year plan is shared with all the employees so we can hear what's going on. It helps with everyone's goals."

Frank information-sharing also makes an impact on Nate Noonen, who works as a technical lead for the firm, managing a team of six people.

Noonen said he appreciates the emphasis the firm puts not only on training and continuous improvement, but also on the open dialogue.

"I'm not scared to send Andrew an email and say, 'Listen, dude,'" he said.

Neither, it seems, is anyone else, and that's encouraged. At companywide, "all hands" meetings, employees can submit any question or opinion for Sieja to address.

At one such meeting in September, someone asked him if he thought the company was going a bit overboard with not-so-subliminal signs around the office like "Do More With Less" and "Stay Hungry."

"They referenced the Soviets, and I guess we do lay it on thick," Sieja said. "This place isn't for everyone."

Early on, the founder learned that lesson well.

"We've hired 200 people in the last 17 months, and in our zealousness, some managers made compromises and we had to let people go. No one feels good about that," Sieja said.

What's not to love about a workplace with free food and drinks, on-site pingpong and 18 days of paid time off, not including a shutdown week at holiday time?

But the reality is that not everyone fits well in the startup model, Sieja said, nodding to a heavy workload that includes a lot of nights and weekends around product launches. And some of the perks that come with big companies — like an established sustainability program — aren't here.

The company does reach out to the community through its kCura Gives program, which adopts a school each year to outfit with new technology. Company employees spend time at the school too.

Amid all its rapid growth and modern office decor, the company still keeps a $25 garage-sale couch from its early days, a reminder about its startup roots. And workers often talk about the need to stay humble as a company.

"I don't want people to forget where we came from," Sieja said, a value that crosses over to hiring decisions. "We want competent, accountable and nice people. A lot of places are OK with only two out of the three, so you get this guy who's a rock star but also an a------. We want to hire right, all the time."